Hi Robert, four years on and I’ve still got the wooden worktop! Life got in the way with my husband’s ill health so everything has been put on the back burner for now. However, I did give the worktops a good sand and applied Osmo Top Oil and they do look better. Picture below of one bit of worktop. Sink still needs changing but I’ll get there! I will just say my friend has Corian worktop and upstand and she is very disappointed. It is softer than quartz and has been dented. It also holds onto watermarks and needs wiping down constantly. Marks can be ground out but it needs a professional to do this. I’m not saying don’t have it, but it’s not a cheap option and it’s not that tough. Go to Daisy England’s comments above as she has some great suggestions. She works or worked for a kitchen company and knows her stuff. Good luck! Please ignore the garden picture as the Houzz App keeps adding the odd irrelevant picture and no option to delete anymore!

Thank you - il be honest i found buying a house easier! ive got a lot of health stuff going on and i need to get this done and dusted. i like the wood effect worktops but im not sure as the kitchen is north west facing and there is a conservatory attached to it which diminishes the light somewhat. there is just so much choice out there and in my 64 years all the houses I've lived in either came with the kitchen or in my new build where i am now, i had a few choices, not a few hundred! i think glass splashbacks are a bit too modern for me plus pricey i expect. so if you had to make a decision would you have wood effect or marble effect worktops and splashbacks ! today is decision day or i will give up and stuck with my existing kitchen lol .

The slight off white of the cabinets would be tricky to chose a matching or toning white too. I think depending on which way the room faces I would consider greige or even a warm neutral so as not to compete with the units. I wouldn't use bright colours as they can be overpowering. I would wait until it is complete before you decide. You could always paint the walls between the installation of the base units and the wall units when you have a better idea of natural light etc. It also depends on what you have decided for the walls. Wall units or open shelving or a combination? It all influences paint colour choice.

Would you consider a natural stone or a porcelain like Dekton? Dekton have some really beautiful colours that lean more cream and would work really well with your existing kitchen. Have a look at the options available. https://www.cosentino.com/en-ie/colours/?utm_campaign=&utm_content=&gad_source=1 Quartz worktops (particularly white :/) are actually a lot less stain resistant than what suppliers lead you to believe, and also can chip quite easily on the edges.